Display device



Sept- 17, l929- H. B. BARKER 1,728,743

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1928 OooocaoOOOOoo oooooooooooon ooooo oooocua Patented Sept. l1.7, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC HARRY B. IBARKEB, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HOTOGRAPH CORPORATION OF AMERICA, OI' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OI' ILLINOIS DISPLAY DEVICE Application led January 19, 1928. Serial No. 247,918.

This invention relates to displa devices and more particularly to display evices of the illuminated type which have an endless traveling light transmitting belt, a portion of which is interposed between a light source and a visible screen bearing indicia formed by perforations therethrough.

The main Objects of this invention are to provide a display device of this character wherein a portion of the length of the traveling belt is provided with perforations therethrough so that light may pass through said perforations to a visible screen bearing indicia likewise formed by means of perforations through it; to provide improved means for driving the endless belt; to provide animproved set of rollers on which the traveling belt is carried; to provide an improved form of mounting for the mechanism used to rotate one of the rollers; to provide improved tensioning mechanism operatively connected to another roller for flexibly spacing said rollers apart to frictionally tension the traveling belt; and, to provide an improved form of magazine or housing for the operating mechanism. f

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings line 4 -4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is another sectional view ot the display device taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is likewise a sectional view thereof taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. o

In the specic form'herein shown, the display device comprises a housing in which is located an endless belt having a plurality of perforations throughout a portion of its length, the belt being carrled on a plurallty of rollers. A screen bearing indicia formed by perforations therethrough is visible on the front side. A source of light such as a battery of incandescent globes is provided within the housing, which battery is encircled bythe traveling belt. An im roved form of a friction drive roller operated) by a motor mounted in an improved manner is provided for movlng the belt on the rollers and an imp roved'form of tensioning mechanism is proylded for flexi'bl tensionmg the belt during its travel. A re ector is provided at the rear of the battery of incandescent lamps for refleeting the light through the erforations on the traveling-belt and thence t rough the perforated indicia in the visible screen.

I In the specific form herein illustrated, the improved display device comprises a magazine orhousing 1 in which is located a traveling vertically disposed endless belt 2 carried in a vertical edgewise position by rollers 3, 4, 5 and 6. The traveling belt is flexible and preferably of specially treated cloth. Substantially one half of the length of the belt has a plurality of perforations 51 throughout its wi th through which light from any suitable source, such as a battery of incandescent lamps 7, is permitted to pass.

The magazine or housing 1 may be of any suitable material but is preferably made of sheet metal having a base 8 on which is mounted the several belt carrying rollers. These rollers are all disposed vertically within the several four corners of the rectangular magazine or housing 1, the roller 4 being driven by motor 9 through reduction gearlng hereinafter more particularly described; and the roller 6 is tensionally and flexibly spaced from the driven roller 4 by means hereinafter more particularly described.

Secured to the base 8 and interposed between the battery of incandescent lamps and the back side of the magazine or housing is a canopy 10 forming a relector. Secured Within the channel frame members 11 which are secured to the base 8, and between the battery of incandescent lamps and the traveling belt, is a translucent diiusing screen 12 which evenly distributes the light from the lamps 7. y A stationary screen 13 of cardboard or the like bears indicia such as advertising matter, the lettering being formed in this instance by double parallel rows of perforations 14.

This stationary screen is secured within chan- 1.

nel frame 15 secured to the base, and between the traveling belt and the light transmitting screen 16. This stationary screen is visible to the on-looker and forms the front side of `the magazine or housing. n

Rear legs 17, secured to the base 8 of the magazine or housing, are shorter than the U-shaped metal legs 18 which are likewise secured to the base 8 adjacent the front edge thereof. rlhe front side of the display device, when in use, is thus inclined upwardly. v

The motor 9 has a worm 19 meshing with a gear 2O xed to the upper end of a shaft 21. r1`his shaft is journaled in a bearing 22 mounted on the motor frame and a gear 23 is iixed to the lower end of the shaft 21. The gear 23 meshes with a gear 24 which is secured to the lower end of the driven roller d.

The roller 6 is journaled in a yoke 25 havin its lower end provided with a stud 26 shiftab e horizontally in a slot 27 formed in the base frame 8. 'A vertically disposed bracket 28 is provided with a horizontally disposed foot 29 on the lower end thereof which has a slot 30 therein. An upstanding bolt 31 is secured to the base 8 of the magazine and projects vertically through the slot 30 for adjustably positioning the bracket 28. A wing nut 32 provides means for securing the bracket 28 in adjusted position. rlhe yoke 25 is mounted! on the bracket 28 by a horizontally disposed stud 34 rigidly secured to the medial part of the yoke 25. rlhe stud 34 is slidably l mounted in the bracket 28 and is normally urged outwardly from said bracket by a helical compression spring 33 which surrounds the stud 34. This spring 33 serves to tensionally and dexibly space the yoke from the bracket and a pin 40 transversely mounted in the outer end of the stud 34 retains said bracket stud in assembled relation to the bracket 28. rlhus the traveling belt may be rictionally revolved by means of the driven roller 4 on the rollers 5, 6 and 3, and the tension on the belt may be regulated by means of the wing-nut 32 which adjustably secures the bracket 28 to the base 8.

A frame 35 for the front of the display device is provided with a window 36'. This frame is rigidly secured to the side walls 37 of the magazine as by screws 38 passing through brackets 39 which are welded or otherwise secured to said side walls.

In operation the endless belt 2 is revolved on the rollers 3, 4, 5 and 6 by means of belt friction on the driven roller 4 and the belt tensioning roller 6. The belt moves in the direction of the arrows and inasmuch as only substantially one-half of the length of the belt is provided with perforations, indicia. on the stationary screen' 13 is increasin ly visible from the left to the right during the travel of the belt and then diminishingly visible in the same direction.. It will thus be e5 seen that the indicia on-the stationary screen weaves is alternately sometimes wholly visible and sometimes totally invisible. The light in passing through the translucent screen 12 is diffused. This diHuses the indicia on the stationary screen when the same is visible, giving to the indicia atwinkling or scintillating eect. r1`he screen 12 may be varicolored to produce dierent color edects on the stationary screen and the screen 16 may be sandblasted or otherwise treated to provide var inw forms of visibility.

rhie but one specic embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departin from the spirit of this invention as delined ily the following claim.

l claim:

1n a device of the class described, a housing vertically disposed rollers mounted on the base ot' said housing` one of said rollers being shii'table horizontally, an endless belt carried by said rollers, means for rotating one of said rollers to revolve said belt, and means ior tensioning the belt comprising a yoke connected to the upper and lower ends of said shii'table roller` an upright bracket having a pin and slot connection with said base, a stud rigidly mountcd on said yoke and slidably engaging said bracket and a spring interposed between said bracket and yoke and embracing said stud for flexibly spacing the rollers apart.

Signed at Chicago this 17th day of Januy HARRY B. BAKKER. 

